Anne's contribution to education was increasingly recognized, as was her stature as an important American woman. At the time of her marriage to John in 1905, Century Magazine editor and good friend Richard W. Gilder, wrote the following to John:

...She is one of the women of our times, - her fate, her happiness are matters of interest to many. She, too, should be a writer -- for she has shown great force of direct, sincere, discerning narrative...

In 1915, Anne was honored with a "Teacher's Medal" at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. The following excerpt is from the speech that she gave at that event:

[Our schools]...uproot the creative ideals of childhood and plant in their place worthless ideals of ownership. The fine soul of the child is of far greater importance than high marks, yet the system causes the pupil to prize high grades above knowledge, and he goes from the schools into his life work believing always that the score is more important than the game, possession more praiseworthy than achievements.

The other honoree was the famous educator Dr. Maria Montessori. During this event, when Montessori was drawn to talk about Anne she said "I have been called a pioneer...but there is your pioneer."

At the event, Helen was annoyed as she felt that yet again, the focus of attention was on her and not her teacher. This feeling was only reinforced by the fact that the event took place on a day designated as "Helen Keller Day."